Siberian Archaeology 4: Karama

Stone tools found in the Russian Altai confirm a human presence in central Asia at ca. 800,000BP. Who were these hominins and what is the evidence?  Perhaps it was Homo antecessor (pictured below from Wikimedia commons (2018))?

Karama is an open-air site in southern Siberia. It lies approximately 400km SSE of the city of Novosibirsk on the banks of the Anui River in the northwest of the Altai.

Sites in the region were first noted when 1959 with the discovery of a few flint flakes, followed by petrified bones of large animals in the Iskra Cave in the vicinity of the settlement of the same name.

It took another twenty years, for a systematic, series of excavations to begin under the direction of the Siberian archaeologist A. P. Okladnikov. In total, more than 30 caves and some open-air, sites  have now shown evidence of Palaeolithic occupation in the Anui Valley. This unique series of sites includes, Denisova Cave, Okladnikov Cave, Strashnaya Cave, Chagyrskaya Cave, Razboinichya Cave and Karama. The Karama site was discovered in 2001. Presumably this was excavation no.1, on which I have been unable to find any information. The details below refer to excavation no. 2.

The Karama site. Above: View of the site from across the valley, Shunkov (2018) and below initial stages of the excavation from Earth Chronicles (2017).

The dig in progress from Bolikhovskaya and Shunkov (2014).

Second view of the excavation progress, clearly showing the Lower Palaeolithic levels from Shunkov (2018).

On the likely hominins occupying the site and lithics discovered, Zwyns (2014) helpfully translates and summarises papers originally, in Russian: “According to Derevianko, the Altai was first colonized by small populations of Homo erectus/ergaster starting from c. 800 ka, that subsequently disappeared from the region c. 500 ka.

The site that would best represent this first wave of human occupation is Karama, along the Anuy River. The diversity of the exotic flora is said to fit with a Middle Pleistocene attribution and the RTL dates of 643 +/- 130 ka and 542 +/-  110 ka have

been obtained on the lower portion of the sequence (layers 8–14). Although the identifiable artifacts do not include handaxes, Derevianko and Shunkov tend to emphasize elements that would fit with an Acheulean attribution. The technology is described as cores on pebble blanks and flakes with subparallel dorsal pattern. The tool-kit includes various kinds of scrapers (including naturally backed examples), Clactonian notches, and choppers. More surprising is the reported presence of core-like endscrapers with abrupt retouch. Derevianko acknowledged that the first Lower Paleolithic occupation of the Altai is elusive and likely represents a short-term event.”

Lithics from the Karama site placed in the context of the recoded stratigraphy from Derevianko and Shun’kov (2008).

Lithics unearthed at Karama from Shunkov (2018). The slightly confusing, original caption reads: Hunting equipment of primitive inhabitants of the Anui Valley (left). Photo by V. Kavelin. Archaic pebble tool from the site Karama (center). A very ancient point from Karama (right). Photo by V. Kavelin.

Primitive pebble stone tool excavated at Karama from Derevyanko (2019).

On the possible assignment of the early Acheulian tools found to a Clactonian facies it is interesting to look at Stringer (2006), italics mine: “..there are further clues to the nature of the Clactonian from a site.. at Ebbsfleet. Large-scale excavations there for the Channal Tunnel Rail Link and associated engineering works since 1997 have been accompanied by archaeological investigations and, in 2003.. the skeleton of a straight-tusked elephant was found surrounded by about 100 stone tools – Clactonian tools. As at Swanscombe, pollen and other evidence suggested that this Clactonian occupation was early in the warm part of the same interglacial period (about 400,000BP). But the the association of Clactonian tools and a large mammal skeleton was very significant because it had previously been suggested that handaxes were the preferred tools for butchery at this time, yet there are none at Ebbsfleet..”

Therefore there is some precedent for lithic assemblages lacking handaxes, however the dates for the Ebbsfleet lithics are far later than those from Karama. On the other hand, the assumed habitats, climate and, faunal composition of the areas may be broadly similar. Thus an occupation resulting from an early species migration out of Africa, such as that postulated for Homo ergaster/antecessor is not out of the question. It also fits with Stringer’s idea that the hominins that made the Happisburgh footprints 850,000 years ago were Homo antecessor.

However, it was a close analysis of the palynology of the sediments that confirmed the extremely advanced age of the Karama site. Bolikhovskaya and Shunkov (2014) summarised the evidence thus:

“The composition of the autochthonous palynoflora from Karama’s three units comprises over 130 taxa of various tiers. Pollen of 45 genera and species of trees and shrubs as well as 56 species, genera, and families of herbaceous plants and subshrubs have been identified. Thirty taxa represent the spore-bearing plant group (mosses, ferns, lycopods, horsetail, and others).The palynoflora of the lower (strata 13–9) and medial (strata 8 and 7) Karama units is substantially richer than that of the earlier examined synchronous sediments at Cherny Anui and Nizhny Karakol that contained only 25 genera and species of arboreal and shrub taxa. However, according to the taxonomic composition of the dendroflora and the structure of paleophytocenoses, the periods of accumulation of these sediments were relatively close to the interglacial periods reconstructed for Karama. The pollen spectra from Karama strata 7, 8 and 10–13 contain a considerable number of elements that are non-typical of modern boreal flora (Picea sect. Omorica, Pinus sect. Strobus, Pinus cf. koraiensis, Betula sect. Costatae) and nemoral European, Far Eastern and other taxa (Juglans mandshurica, Carpinus betulus, C. cordata, C. orientalis, Ostrya sp., Quercus robur, Tilia cordata, T. amurensis, T. mandshurica, Ulmus pumila, Corylus avellana, Alnus glutinosa, A. incana, Morus sp.). Many were first recorded in the pollen spectra of the Middle Pleistocene deposits of the Anui valley. The presence of Pinus sect. Strobus, Carpinus cordata, C. orientalis, Ostrya sp., Quercus robur, Tilia cordata, T. amurensis, T. mandshurica, Alnus glutinosa, A. incana, Corylus avellana, Juglans mandshurica Carpinus betulus, Ulmus pumila, Morus  sp., etc. in strata 7, 8 and 10–13 as well as eco-coenotic features of the exotic taxa found, results of the analysis of the geographical groups of dendroflora, and other data suggest the Middle Pleistocene age of the sediments. For instance, hop hornbeam Ostrya sp. and mulberry Morus sp., belonging to the group of American-Mediterranean-Asian genera, indicate the Middle Pleistocene age of sediments in the southern Cis-Baikal and Upper Amur regions (Makhova, 1978; Grichuk, 1982). The interglacial palynofloras of Karama differ considerably from the Early Pleistocene floras of the eastern Altai, southern part of Western Siberia, and other mountainous and plain regions of Siberia and the Far East. They lack pollen grains of subtropical, broad-leaved species such as Pterocarya, Carya, Zelkova, Celtis, Ilex, Tsuga , and other exotic taxa of the pine family that are characteristic of the warm-loving Early Pleistocene floras of the named regions. This contradicts the idea that Karama dates back to the Early Pleistocene. However, some researchers argue that the Early Pleistocene age of the Karama lower unit cannot be ruled out (Zykin et al., 2005). This assumption is based on paleomagnetic testing of the entire section that yielded evidence of normal polarity as well as on the presence of two vertisols in the lower portion of the section. Previously, such soils were recorded only in Pliocene sediments of Western and Middle Siberia. This allowed V.S. Zykin and his colleagues to correlate the lower Karama strata with the Barnaul Lower Pleistocene layers, and, correspondingly, with the Olduvai subchron. However, we can hardly agree with this assumption, since the Middle Pleistocene interglacals reconstructed on the basis of the Karama pollen data differ considerably from the period of formation of the Barnaul strata in southern Western Siberia in floral, phytocenosis, and paleoclimatic characteristics. The sediments bearing the Barnaul floral remains were formed in forest-steppe and steppe zones and in a climate similar to the modern climate, while the Karama interglacial floras existed under warmer and less continental climatic conditions than today. The spore and pollen spectra of Karama indicate considerable faunal changes mirroring numerous fluctuations of plant biomes caused by climatic fluctuations over four reconstructed stages of the Brunhes event. The first interglacial recorded in the section corresponds to the accumulation period of strata 13–10 that can be correlated with MIS 19, or the Gremyachie interglacial of the Russian Plain dated to 790–760 ka BP. This period was characterized by a climate warmer than it is now and a dominance of forest-steppe and forest landscapes.”

Other commentators, also concur with this dating: from Kuzmin and Kazansky (2019): “Factual information and its interpretation regarding the geological age of the Lower Palaeolithic site of Karama (Altai Mountains, Siberia) are considered. It is demonstrated that palynological data do not allow to date this site to earlier than ca. 800 kya; archaeological data are consistent with this estimate. The viewpoint of V. S. Zykin with coauthors, according to which the age of Karama is ca. 1.95-1.77 mya, finds no support in the light of the available geological and paleomagnetic evidence. The so-called “Karama suite” of the Upper Pliocene of Altai Mountains in reality does not exist. For the time being there are no reliable data indicating than the initial peopling of Siberia took place prior to ca. 1 mya.”

References

Bolikhovskaya, N.S. and Shunkov, M.V., 2014. Pleistocene environments of northwestern Altai: Vegetation and climate. Archaeology, Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia, 42(2), pp.2-17.

Derevianko, A. P. and M. V. Shun’kov (2008) Early Paleolithic of Altai in Early Paleolithic Of Eurasia: New Discoveries, International Conference Program and Abstracts Krasnodar – Temriuk, 1–6 September 2008 S. A. Vasil’ev, A. P. Derevianko, G. G. Matishov, Kh. A. Amirkhanov, V. E. Shchelinsky, A. A. Velichko, G. I. Medvedev, L. B. Vishnyatsky, S. A. Kulakov, V. V. Titov eds.

Derevyanko A.P. (2019). Science First Hand “Where has Homo sapiens come from” from: https://scfh.ru/en/papers/where-has-homo-sapiens-come-from/ accessed 17.08.19

Earth Chronicles (2017) “There are confirmations that people appeared in Siberia 800 thousand years ago” at: http://earth-chronicles.com/science/there-are-confirmations-that-people-appeared-in-siberia-800-thousand-years-ago.html accessed 14.08.19

Kuzmin, V. and Y. Kazansky (2019). Chronology of the Lower Palaeolithic Site of Karama (Gorny Altai): Facts and Problems. Stratum plus. 2019. No1 online at

https://www.e-anthropology.com/English/Catalog/Archaeology/STM_DWL_coSJ_lBu5LSrAZyBs.aspx accessed 14.08.19

Shunkov, M.V. (2018). Science First Hand, “The Golden Section of the Anui” from https://scfh.ru/en/papers/the-golden-section-of-anui/ accessed 14.08.19

Stringer, C., 2007. Homo Britannicus: The incredible story of human life in Britain. Penguin UK.

Wikipedia commons (2018) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Homo-Antecessor.jpeg accessed 17.08.19